Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Agency overview

Formed	9 August 1965; 59 years ago (1965-08-09)
Jurisdiction	Government of Singapore
Headquarters	1 Sherwood Road, (Tanglin) Singapore 248163
Motto	Establishing Our Place in the World
Employees	1,616 (2018)
Annual budget	S$466.70 million (2019)
Ministers responsible	Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister Maliki Osman, Second Minister Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State
Agency executives	Albert Chua, Permanent Secretary Luke Goh, 2nd Permanent Secretary Ng Teck Hean, Deputy Secretary (Asia Pacific) Ong Eng Chuan, Deputy Secretary (Management) Foo Chi Hsia, Deputy Secretary (Southeast Asia and ASEAN)
Footnotes
List of diplomatic missions of Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is like Singapore's main team for talking to other countries. It helps Singapore have good relationships with countries around the world. The MFA also helps Singaporean citizens who are living or traveling overseas. It was started on 9 August 1965, the same day Singapore became independent.

What the MFA Does
Singapore's Global Connections
The Minister for Foreign Affairs
Images for kids
See also

What the MFA Does

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a very important part of the Government of Singapore. Its main job is to manage how Singapore interacts with other countries and regions. This is called diplomatic relations. Having good diplomatic relations helps Singapore work with other countries on things like trade, safety, and solving global problems.

How the MFA Connects with Other Countries

The MFA has many offices in different countries around the world. These offices are called overseas missions. They help Singapore talk to other governments and protect Singapore's interests.

High Commissions are offices in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Embassies are offices in other countries.
Permanent Missions are offices that work with big international groups, like the United Nations.
Consulates are smaller offices that help Singaporean citizens and promote trade or tourism.

Currently, the MFA has 50 overseas missions. These include 7 high commissions, 21 embassies, 4 permanent missions to the United Nations, and 17 consulates.

Helping Singaporeans Abroad

The MFA also helps Singaporeans who are living or traveling outside Singapore. This is called consular assistance. If a Singaporean citizen gets into trouble overseas, like losing their passport or needing help in an emergency, the MFA's offices can provide support.

How the MFA is Organized

The MFA has different teams, called directorates, that handle specific tasks.

Some directorates focus on political and economic matters with other countries.
Others deal with important rules for official visits (protocol) or help Singaporeans overseas (consular issues).
The Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) is another important part. It helps Singapore share its knowledge and skills with other developing countries.
There are also teams that manage the ministry's resources and train its staff.

Singapore's Global Connections

Singapore has official relationships with 188 countries around the world. This means Singapore talks and works with almost every country.

In Singapore, there are 70 foreign embassies and high commissions. These are offices where other countries' representatives work.
There are also 43 foreign consulates and 11 international organizations based in Singapore.
Many countries also have non-resident ambassadors who visit Singapore regularly to keep up good relations.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs

The person in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is called the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This minister is a part of the Cabinet of Singapore, which is the main group of leaders in the government. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Vivian Balakrishnan. He helps guide Singapore's relationships with the rest of the world.